Monday, November 24, 2014

PIA Bohol, their delegates and speakers at their Blogging for Tourism and Environment event

Going with my friend Dalareich to Catigbian, Bohol to help her present her segment, Basic Blogging, at PIA's Blogging for Tourism and Environment event was, first of all, far since the town of Catigbian is located in the island's interior and, secondly, very inspiring.

The delegates before the workshop started

I was expecting an auditorium of high school students before I arrived at the session hall with Dalareich as we climbed the stairs of the Catigbian Municipal Hall. The crowd that greeted us, though, was a selection of delegates from various municipalities in Bohol holding esteemed positions in their respective local government units. Dalareich and I shared a look.

Our friends at PIA Bohol were very welcoming and accommodating upon our arrival. I had the privilege to meet the people behind the scenes of PIA Bohol, their Information Center Manager Mr. Rey Chiu, who was a delight to listen to as he talked enthusiastically with Dalareich discussing with her their plans for the upcoming Blogging for Tourism and Environment Marathon this December, and PIA Cebu's Infocen Ms. Rachel Nessia.

Basic Blogging Workshop

Based on previous encounters with government officials, I was quite apprehensive about my segment of the talk as Dalareich was kind enough to include me in her workshop. I was tasked to talk about the technical side of setting up a blog with mine as an example. It pleasantly surprised me that the participants were so participative throughout both our segments, asking questions, answering our inquiries and being genuinely interested in improving how things were in the system which greatly impressed me.

Us after a successful workshop

The experience taught me that old dogs really can learn new tricks, or at least aren't deterred by learning something new and are more than willing to pass on the knowledge to their collegues. A lot in our government and culture can still improve greatly for our country's development but it gives me some peace of mind that we have these passionate individuals to push for the development of, at the very least, our small island.